It is an all too familiar scene in a hospital or extended care facility where a patient that requires oxygen or other similar gases is seen constantly fidgeting with the oxygen tube worn across their face or nasal cannula inserted in their nose. More often than not, the cause of their discomfort originates from the cannula tubing that is routed behind their ears. This tubing is relatively hard in nature and generates pressure on the ear and cheek area, especially after prolonged periods of use.
Various attempts have been made to overcome these problems and alleviate these discomforts. Some care providers take foam padding and tape it to the ear pieces to help alleviate this discomfort. Various other types of oxygen tube support devices have also been provided. Examples of such attempts can be seen by reference in several U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,824, issued to Payton et al., describes an oxygen tube support patch having an adhesive face patch for support of the oxygen tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,200, issued to Clark, discloses an oxygen tube support strap including a head strap having loops to hold the oxygen tubes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,916, issued to Byrd, discloses an oxygen tube support apparatus and associated method including a strap worn across the top of the head of a patient having two (2) opposite ends with adhesive sides for retaining the branches of the cannula between the adhesive ends. Other attempts include complex nasal oxygen delivery tubes, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,104, issued to Marcy and U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,353, issued to Wright.
While these devices may achieve their particularly stated objectives, they each suffer from one (1) or more disadvantage or deficiency related to design or utilization. Particularly, the foam padding is known to turn and rollover thus causing additional discomfort and distraction to the patient. Strap devices worn over the head tend to shift when worn, especially when the patient is sleeping, which can dislodge the nostril prongs and add to discomfort and lack of oxygen being supplied to the patient. Complicated oxygen tubes can add additional time to set up and can be even more uncomfortable and obtrusive to the patient.